"Bill" Abbott (born April 25, 1962) is an American businessman who is the president and CEO of GAC Media since 2021.
When he became Crown Media CEO in 2009, he spearheaded the addition of scripted series for primetime, including Cedar Cove and When Calls the Heart, as well as the launch of the yearly special Kitten Bowl.
[3] Abbott joined Crown Media Family Networks in 2000 as its executive vice president of advertising sales.
[6][7] In his first year, Abbott made a deal with Martha Stewart to create a lifestyle block on Hallmark Channel that premiered in March 2010.
The network acquired the When Calls the Heart spin-off When Hope Calls, and began hiring talent associated with Hallmark Channel productions to appear in its own competing slate of made-for-TV movies (with the channel establishing "Great American Christmas" as a direct competitor to Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas lineup).